MOCO Transportation, Health and Housing Issues

Moffat County United Way recently completed a community assessment which looked at factors that may be affecting those in the county living below the poverty line. The assessment showed that of the 6,000 plus workers in Moffat County, 70% drive to work alone, while 17% of the population carpools. .7% use public transportation, .8% use a taxi to get to work and 7% walk or ride bikes. The assessment found the median commute time in Moffat County is around 20 minutes. Numbers show that between 2000 and 2015, the percentage of owner occupied homes in Moffat county decreased by 16%. Of the homes in the area in 2015, 466 or 8% were vacant, while 94 business locations or 16% were vacant. Those numbers are well above the national average of 2.6% for residential and 9% for business vacancies. The assessment found that for fiscal year 2015 to 2016, nearly 30% of the county’s population was enrolled in Medicaid, including 155 children. According to the assessment, 12% of children were at least partially eligible for Medicaid, but were not enrolled. Nearly 10% of the county was uninsured in 2015, including more than 17% of children. Tomorrow, Wild West Radio news will take a look at the results from surveys filled out by low-income individuals and community leaders in the county.